July 20: In Juneau, AK and on Ferry



Our second day in Juneau dawned cloudy and cool with low-hanging fog and drizzle patches. We were very happy that we were able to get to Mendenhall Glacier yesterday as there was much less visibility today. We had breakfast at a restaurant near the Best Western. Then we decided to visit the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery in Juneau.

The Macaulay Salmon Hatchery is a non-profit hatchery, one of many chartered and funded by the state years ago when salmon stocks were declining. They are quick to point out that they are not a fish farm but instead a "fish ranch." Instead of raising salmon in pens, they raise wild salmon and release them back into the wild. Since Pacific salmon return to the place of their birth to spawn (and die shortly thereafter), some two million salmon now return to to the hatchery every year.

The adult salmon swim in from the ocean after between two and six years (depending on species) drawn to place of their birth. When they reach fresh water (they are born in fresh water), their color changes from red to brown/green. We were told that once they reach fresh water they are no longer good to eat. The salmon also stop eating once they reach fresh water (i.e. the bottom of the fish ladder) and don't eat again for the rest of their lives.

The salmon at the Macaulay hatchery must traverse a 450' fish ladder which you can see in the pictures. You can also view yet another of my "exclusive" movies showing the salmon coming up the ladder by clicking here. (Note: these little movies are at 320x320 resolution and may show up better if downloaded and viewed rather than shown in a side browser window.) The transit time varies from a few hours to several weeks depending on the strength and stamina of the salmon. Remember that they don't eat at all and just use stored body fat for this entire time!

Once they make it to the top of the ladder, they wind up in a large pen. You can see them jumping around in the pen by clicking here. At various times, groups of salmon are allowed to swin into several channels. They are then stunned by a low-voltage current which doesn't kill them. The females' eggs and the males' sperm are harvested and the hatchery does "artificial in-salmon-ation" with these. The salmon themselves are killed (they would have died anyway had they spawned naturally) and used for bait and animal food. The fingerlings are moved to holding pens and fed. Juveniles are released to the wild after about a year.

Since it was drizzling, we retreated back to the Best Western lobby to read and use their Internet access. We walked to a small pizza place and had lunch. Then it was time to leave for the ferry terminal. Jane took the hotel shuttle and Marty and I saddled up the bikes. We boarded the M/V Kennicott about 2:30pm for our trip to Seward. The process was a lot better than in Bellingham although Marty & I did have to sit with our bikes for about 45 minutes before being able to drive on. The ship is laid out differently than the M/V Columbia so it will take awhile to get used to. It also has a Forest Service naturalist onboard which means lots of informational lectures as we go.

The ferry departed promptly at 3:30pm. We have a four-berth inside cabin as that was all that was available when we made our reservations. Marty also has a four-berth cabin all to himself. Our first stop will be Yakutat on Wednesday morning and then Valdez at 3:00am on Thursday. We arrive in Seward at 3:30pm on Thursday.

Some fast M/V Kennicott facts:

As with the M/V Columbia, lots of people just sleep in the aft lounges or put tents in the solarium. There is a single "food court" rather than a snack bar and dining room as on the Columbia.

We will be in open waters about five hours after departure. They say it will be calm but you never know. I've put on another motion sickness patch as a precaution. If it makes me sleepy or dippy, I'll have to take it off.

We have been somewhat disappointed at the lack of wildlife so far. We've seen several humpback whales very far away. We went through good humpback and orca habitat in the middle of the night near Ketchikan. A few bald eagles have come by but again they have been pretty far away except for one last night sitting on a street light in Juneau! I couldn't stop in time for a picture. They say that we have a good chance of spotting whales on this trip but who knows?


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The Brief Story of Juneau Salmon Congregate at the Bottom of the Ladder The Start of the 450' Fish Ladder
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The 450' Fish Ladder The Top of the Ladder Salmon Traversing the Ladder The End of the (Ladder) Line
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Waiting to Load onto the Ferry Juneau Ferry Terminal Forward Lounge of the M/V Kennicott